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Apple acquires TV discovery startup Matcha.tv

Apple has acquired Matcha.tv, a startup company that developed a second screen TV content discovery app. Matcha.tv was a popular iOS app that shut down in May. The service let users view programs available to watch from TV providers, digital stores such as iTunes and Amazon, and streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu. Matcha.tv’s app also provided a number of social options and recommendations. Apple responded to the acquisition report with a typical statement: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.” One source claimed Apple acquired Matcha.tv for $1-1.5 million, with another source refuting those numbers. Matcha.tv’s service could fit in to Apple’s future plans for TV, or could possibly be used in some capacity in the existing Apple TV. [via VentureBeat]

Update:TechCrunch reports the acquisition likely cost between $10-15 million, and that Apple was interested in acquiring Matcha due to its recommendation algorithms, which worked better than those of competing apps.